Retractable radiator



Aug. 11, 1925 1,549,202

J. L. M CLANE RETRACTABLE RADIATOR Fil ed Feb. 14, 19 s Sheets-Sheet- 1Aug. 1-1, 1925.

J. L. M CLANE RETRACTABLE RADIATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet z Filed Feb. 14 1922WfhlESS fill T I kw; [tDI'IlE k Aug. 11, 1925.

J. L. M CLANE RETRACTABLE RADIATOR Filed Feb. 14, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 5Inverflur (63$ 1. "C/rme Drnav Witness Patented Aug-11, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH L. MCGLANE, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR. T0 DAYTON-WRIGHT COMPANY,OF DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

RETRACTABLE RADIATOR.

Application filed February 14, 1922.

To all who/2L 2'2. may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. MCCLANE, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Dayton, county of Montgomery, and State of Ohio,have invcntedcertain new and useful Improvements in RetractableRadiators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to airplane radiators and has special referenceto means for varying the coolin efl'ect thereof by exposing more or lessof the radiator area to the cooling air blast.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a retractableradiator which is moved in such a manner as to at all times maintain thesame direction of the blast uponthe cooling area. Thus the greatestamount of cooling for the head resistance offered is always obtained.

Another object is to provide a form of retractable radiator which ismovable horizontally and thus greatly reduce the work required tooperate the same since no weight must be raised or lowered in operatingthe radiator.

Another object is to provide a simple and absolutely positive drive formoving the radiator either outwardly or inwardly.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein preferred forms of embodiments of the presentinvention are clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a phantom view showing the general location in the airplane ofthe radiator and operating means therefor.

Fig. 2 is a similar View transverse the airplane and showing theretracted position of the radiator in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but on a large scale to show thedetails of construction.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but on a large scale to show thedetails of construction.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view taken at right angles to Fig. 5. s

Fig. 7 is a plan detail view of the normal operating means and gearing.

Similar refereneecharacters refer to sim Serial No. 536,540.

having the frame members 11 and 12, 11

being one of the longrons and 12 a transverse bulkhead located behindthe engine.

The weight of the radiator .15 is car-v ried by these frame members,the. greater partof this weight being taken directly by the bulkhead 12.This bulkhead is provided with a plurality of rollers 16 which havepivots supported thereupon in any suitable manner. Directly opposite tothe rollers 16 are similar rollers 17 whose pivots are supported in aframe 13 which in turn is .suported upon the frame members of thefuselage (see Fig. 4.).

The radiator 15 is built upon a slidable frame 20 which comprises fourchannel members 21 braced together to form a rigid structure. This frame20 is slidable along the rollers 16 and 17 which track in the guidechannels 21as clearly illustrated.

The frame is madesufiiciently wide so that when the radiator 15 is fullyexposed or extended outside the contour 10 of the fuselage its weight issupported by cantilever action by the other side of frame 20 still incontact with rollers 16 and 17. Fig. '3 illustrates in full lines themost extended .position of the radiator and in dotted lines the. fullyretracted position thereof.

The means for operating the radiator will now be described. Rigidlysecured to the frame 20 by any suitable means is the toothed rack 25which is driven by a pinion 26 keyed upon the end of drive shaft 27.Drive shaft 27 extends to the operators cock pit and is provided withmeans for manual'operation by the pilot. In the drawings I have shownthe drive shaft 27 extending closely along the side of the fuselage andsupported within the scope of. my invention to operate drive shaft 27 byany other form of gearing or cranking means and I do not wish to belimited to the form shown.

By means of the toothed rack and pinion drive for retracting orextending the radiator an absolutely positive movement is obtained ineither direction and independent of gravity or wind pressure to assistor hinder the movement. Since it isnot necessary to raise the weight ofthe radiator and water therein or to overcome wind pressure in eitherretractin or extending the radiator the force required for the operationis comparatively small. However, in a modified form of thisinvention theradiator may have a vertical movement, in which event gravity wouldassist the movement in one direction and oppose it in the other. Theother advantages of the invention would remain the same. 7 I

All important advantage of my invention resides in the movement of theradiator parallel to itself which causes the air blast to strike it atthe same angle in whatever position it may have. Thus it may be set atits most efiicient angle for cooling and for head resistance and it willalways retain that angle regardless of the position to which it may beretracted or extended.

While the forms of mechanisms herein shown and described constitutepreferred forms of embodiments of the present invention, it is to beunderstood thatother forms might be adopted, all coming within the scopeof the claims which follow.

What I claim isv as follows: 1. In an airplane having a body, a radiatorhaving a rigid member attached thereto, said member acting as acantilever to support said radiator and extending laterally from theside of the body, and means operable during flight for sliding theradiator together with said rigid lateral support laterally inwardly.

2. In an airplane having a substantially extension rigid therewith andcooperatingv with said stationary support for supportin the woight ofsaid radiator when in extende position.

In an airplane having a body, a radiator located at the side of theairplane body, said radiator having a rigid frame secured thereto andprojecting within said body whereby the weight of said radiator issupported as a cantilever, and means for movmg said radiator laterallyinto the contour of the body.

4.,In an airplane having a substantially streamlined body, an aperturein the side wall of said body, substantially at the point of itsgreatest ,width, a radiator movable into and out of the body throughsaid aperture, and a stationary support for said radiator entirelywithin the contour of said streamlined body, said radiator having arigid lateral extension cooperating with said stationary support forsupporting the weight of said radiator when in extended position.

In testimony whereof I hereto aflix my signature.

JOSEPH L. McoL'ANE.

Witnesses:

GEO. E. Pasoo, Wu. P. Pasoo.

